Minembwe: M23/Twirwaneho claims decisive win over FARDC–FDNB–Wazalendo coalition following week of intense combat

Minembwe, June 19, 2026—A week of fierce clashes has concluded in the high plateaus of Fizi and Mwenga territories, Sud-Kivu, pitting Twirwaneho fighters—allied with the AFC-M23 political-military coalition—against the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), supported by the Burundi National Defense Force (FDNB) and Kinshasa-backed Wazalendo militias.

At the culmination of these engagements, the Twirwaneho/M23 combatants assert they have driven back the government coalition from multiple strategic positions surrounding Minembwe. Concurrently, both local residents and military personnel report a strategic withdrawal by the opposing forces.

Local accounts describe the fighting reaching peak intensity during the week, characterized by the deployment of heavy weaponry, drones, and extensive bombardments. Subsequently, the FARDC, FDNB, and their allies reportedly retreated towards the localities of Lwiko, Mutunda, and Miko, relinquishing control of several peripheral Minembwe positions to the Twirwaneho/M23 fighters.

Residents who sought refuge in Kiziba from the conflict zones recount widespread panic and significant civilian displacement. Numerous testimonies detail bombardments impacting populated areas, though an independent casualty assessment remains unconfirmed.

The FARDC has yet to issue a comprehensive statement, but local military sources confirm a strategic redeployment occurred after particularly violent confrontations in the Ilundu and Bidegu areas.

Unverified reports from the region also suggest that Burundian FDNB soldiers abandoned equipment during their retreat towards Kakenge (Miko). While human losses are indicated within the ranks of the FARDC, FDNB, and Wazalendo, no official casualty figures have been released.

Claims of triumph and strategic gains

From the Twirwaneho/M23 perspective, the narrative is unequivocally one of military success. They claim to have pushed government forces and their allies beyond several front lines, thereby solidifying their control around Minembwe.

Former Congolese national deputy Moïse Nyarugabo commended what he described as a “retreat of forces deployed against Minembwe.”

“The threat to Minembwe has been averted. Despite Sukhoi bombardments, drone attacks, and heavy artillery, the engaged forces were repelled beyond the Lwiko river,” he stated.

According to Nyarugabo, military operations launched months prior have failed to ensure lasting security in the persistently unstable high plateaus.

He further accused the coalition of responsibility for bombardments that resulted in civilian casualties and massive population displacement.

Burundian military presence sparks regional controversy

The deployment of the Burundi National Defense Force (FDNB) alongside the FARDC continues to fuel controversy across the region.

Some security sources allege that Kinshasa offered Gitega mining concessions in the Minembwe area and other parts of Fizi territory in exchange for military assistance. These claims remain unconfirmed by either Congolese or Burundian authorities.

However, Presidents Évariste Ndayishimiye and Félix Tshisekedi have acknowledged a bilateral security cooperation agreement that permits Burundian forces to operate on Congolese soil. Records indicate that over 29,000 Burundian soldiers were deployed in eastern DRC between August 2022 and December 2025.

Amidst heightened security tensions, the Burundian army recently conducted further redeployments in the region. This follows the withdrawal of AFC-M23 rebels from the strategic city of Uvira, located near Goma and vital routes connecting eastern Congo to Burundi. Uvira had been under rebel occupation for approximately one month between December 2025 and January 2026 before their retreat.

More recently, local sources also report that elements of the AFC-M23 have withdrawn from certain positions in the Rusizi plain, reportedly due to international pressure, particularly from the United States and other partners involved in regional de-escalation efforts.

AFC-M23 and Twirwaneho at the heart of the conflict

The March 23 Movement (M23) currently stands as a primary component of the Alliance Fleuve Congo–M23 (AFC-M23) political-military coalition, led by Corneille Nangaa, the former president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In the high plateaus of Sud-Kivu, this coalition significantly relies on the Twirwaneho armed movement, predominantly composed of youth from the Banyamulenge community.

Congolese authorities consistently accuse Rwanda of backing the AFC-M23 and its allies, allegations that Kigali systematically denies. Rwanda, in turn, accuses Kinshasa of collaborating with the FDLR, an armed group comprising former Hutu officials implicated in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis.

Burundi also alleges that Rwanda supports armed groups operating against its territory and harbors ambitions for influence in eastern DRC. Kigali refutes these accusations, while simultaneously criticizing Gitega for collaborating with the FDLR and other armed groups active in the region.

Within this climate of persistent tensions, the M23/AFC—a predominantly Tutsi movement that resumed hostilities in late 2021, citing Kinshasa’s failure to honor reintegration commitments—now controls or influences several strategic areas in North and South Kivu, including key economic arteries and vital localities.

Persistent instability plagues the region

Despite numerous regional agreements and diplomatic initiatives aimed at de-escalating the crisis in eastern DRC, fighting continues on the ground, with no immediate prospects for lasting peace.

The Fizi highlands thus remain one of the most volatile flashpoints in the Great Lakes region, where local rivalries are intricately woven with broader tensions between Kigali, Kinshasa, and Gitega.

____________________________________________

Archive photo: local militiamen attacking M23 in Bashali, while various armed groups clash in Minembwe, amidst high tensions in eastern DRC.